Speeding - electronic advisory signs to be installed
August 2021 Over the years attempts to put together a team of volunteers to monitor traffic speeds in Groby have failed. Most drivers want to stay within the limits, but even the most careful may sometimes be taken by surprise when they check their speed. The days of someone standing at the roadside with a speed ‘gun’ are probably numbered as technological advances cut the cost of speed monitoring devices, whilst at the same time providing 24 hour coverage.
Leicestershire County Council has made a grant of £10,000 to the Parish Council to enable the purchase of radar controlled speed signs. Part of the deal is that they are mobile and must be moved every few weeks to different locations, but this doesn’t mean that everyone can expect them up their street at some time. They cannot be fitted on lamp posts and need strong supporting poles, so the number of potential sites is limited initially.
Supplier carefully selected
The offerings from three suppliers have been examined in some detail, and the Evolis Radar Speed Sign has been chosen because of its flexible functionality and value for money. It’s made by a French company and seems to do everything except bake croissants. The 22kg units will be battery powered in order to give complete flexibility with regards to location, with no reliance on either a mains supply or sunshine. It is a totally waterproof, sealed unit, that cannot rust and is UV resistant.
“Installation can take around 15 minutes and doesn’t need a contractor to come out and do it,” explained Parish Councillor Geoff Baker, who has led the project for the Council. “Mark, who leads the Estates work, has previous experience with speed monitoring devices, so we don’t anticipate any problems in setting them up.”
County Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, who has long been trying to find solutions for the speeding problem locally, has also been involved. “Selecting the supplier and the potential sites needed careful consideration,” he said, “and I was able to arrange for the grant to be carried forward to the current financial year to ensure that the Parish Council had adequate time to come to a considered decision. I also arranged for the police to carry out speed checks on local roads to produce a short list of sites. This confirmed that Sacheverell Way should be top of the list.”
What we can expect to see?
The latest Doppler radar antenna technology detects vehicles at up to 300 yards and has an ultra-vivid, triple LED speed display that is clearly visible from the maximum detection distance. If a car is below or on-limit the speed is displayed in GREEN, Speeds in excess of the limit are displayed in RED, but an additional AMBER ‘intermediate’ display can be enabled by the user. A suitable speed related message can be displayed, for example ‘Thank you’ ‘Slow down’ or ‘Too fast’.
The passing motorist sees a message which will hopefully encourage them to watch their speed, whilst in the background the device will be collecting data such as average speeds, fastest speeds and traffic volumes. The traffic data can be downloaded using Bluetooth® , the Evolis smart phone application or via a usb cable. The package includes software that analyses the recorded information and turns it into charts and graphs in pdf format.
Although it is delivered with factory settings that allow the radar to be used as soon as it is installed, by simply setting the dial to the required speed limit, both the speed and the message display can be easily changed.
The Evolis is economical, tough, durable, portable and has great functionality. But the big questions are whether it is accurate and whether it reduces speeding, The company says that the device is accurate to within 1% and customer feedback indicates that there is evidence of a reduction in the average speed recorded in the vicinity of an Evolis device of up to 25%. A French government survey concluded that around 50% reduced their speed near a radar speed sign.
Two reasons why signs work
They believe there are 2 principal reasons as to why the signs modify driver behaviour. The first is a deterrent effect, instantly triggering driver awareness and a tendency to slow down immediately. As mentioned earlier sometimes motorists are unaware that they are over the limit and are not necessarily looking at their speedometer. Those who know they are speeding get a gentle reminder that they have been spotted. The second reason is a fear of enforcement, as motorists who see a radar speed sign may wonder whether other measures are in place nearby.
If it doesn’t bring any long term benefit a radar speed sign may not justify the investment, but the company argues that a sign continues to have as significant an impact as it had on the first day of use, citing another French study that found that the removal of a radar speed sign resulted in a return to the speeds recorded before the installation of the sign.
Responding to driver behaviour
As we drive around, we never consider that out there someone is analysing driver psychology and designing speed control signs to match our behaviour, but this becomes clear when looking at the functionality of the devices. An Evolis radar speed sign automatically adapts its message and presentation according to the speed detected, So a motorist who is up to 10mph over the limit may see the speed displayed in red with the text ‘SLOW DOWN’, whilst speeds in excess of 10mph over the limit may generate a flashing red display with a stronger message - ‘TOO FAST’.
In the early days of sat navs some drivers used to try and beat the ‘satnav’ by getting to their destination before the estimated time of arrival Another aspect of driver psychology, related to
the presence of the early radar speed signs, was the detection of a negative side-effect which is known as the ‘Race Effect’. A tiny proportion of motorists would actually increase their speed around radar signs in order to generate the maximum possible speed reading.
Technology has moved on and this can be very easily counteracted and eradicated by the setting of a maximum speed threshold. For example, the Evolis radar speed sign can quite simply display a warning triangle or a blank screen instead of the speed if an on-coming vehicle is approaching at a speed of more than a user defined speed, whilst displaying the message ‘TOO FAST’.
Not a ‘silver bullet’
Back in 2008 the Transport Research Laboratory published a report on the effectiveness of Speed Indicator Devices on reducing vehicle speeds. It found them to be effective at reducing vehicle speeds on 30mph roads in London, adding that the effectiveness varied depending on site characteristics. An overall speed reduction of 1.4mph was detected, with a speed reduction at all sites significantly better than no effect. The overall reduction of 1.4mph was used to estimate that there was a 5.6% reduction in the likelihood of collisions.
The site characteristics for Groby are no doubt quite different to London, so perhaps Sheepy Magna is a better comparison, though the results are similar. A report to the Sheepy Parish Council compared 2019 survey results with 2017. It found that average speeds had dropped by 2.3mph, and 85% of traffic was travelling no faster than 37.3 mph, down from 38.9 mph in 2017.
The signs clearly influence driver behaviour, and, as the County Council is making funds available for parishes to install vehicle activated signs, it is reasonable to assume that their value has been assessed and warrants the investment. But residents shouldn’t think that this is a ‘silver bullet’ that will transform driving habits overnight.
Earlier speeding initiatives
Speed indicator devices
Leicestershire County Council has said that if Groby wants speed indicator devices to be installed the Parish Council should meet the bill. Groby Parish Council believes this is a Highways Authority responsibility and has rejected the request.
From 2011 - Community Speed Watch idea revived
September 2011 It's three years since Groby Parish Council gave it's backing to the introduction of a Community Speed Watch for Groby. Despite the level of concern about speeding in the village not enough residents said that they wanted a scheme to be introduced, so the idea had to be dropped.
But concern about speeding hasn't gone away and a recent speed surveillance exercise on one local road showed a high level of disregard for the speed limit. So another attempt is to be made to get Groby Speed Watch up and running. The philosophy of Speed Watch isn't about bashing the motorist with a punitive fine and points on the licence, it's simply about raising awareness of speed limits on local roads and encouraging motorists to think about their speed, their own safety and the safety of others. Watch the Spotlight in coming months for more about the plan, how you can volunteer or just show support, and who to contact.
